Ibanez BTB - wow...

I had a bit of time on my hands this morning, so I went down to Brighton to the Guitar, Keyboard and Amp Centre ( www.gak.co.uk ) and decided to play some basses (and check out the MarkBass amps they've just got in). I picked up a honey-sunburst Ibanez BTB405 (it seemed to be the only five they had with good string spacing and active EQ) and plugged it into the MarkBass rig they had set up, and all I can say is wow! I'm usually a custom bass freak (with my two Sei basses and all) but I was incredibly impressed with the BTB. The neck was comfortable with nice string spacing, it balanced well, and the bass had some knockout sounds! The parametric mid control gave the bass loads of different tones, everything from a great Jazz-ish slap sound to a very thumpy pick-and-mute tone. It also had a nice tight B string. The treble end of the sound even had that nice, round "ping" I usually associate with the likes of Sadowsky - not the harsh, noisy, snappy treble you usually get from inexpensive active basses. I'm astonished you can get such a good instrument for less than £450 - it played just as well as my main Sei, was full of great sounds, looked good and is a complete bargain. I might have to get one!

You can send me both your Sei's then as you wont be needing them once you get the BTB

Matthew

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There is no way I will ever be parted from my Seis!

But I do worry about taking them out on gigs, my singlecut has already got a couple of minor battle scars, so I'm on the lookout for a good beater bass or two to gig with. I'll have to get them fitted with the blue SimS LEDs as they seem to have become my stage trademark!

Good review, SMASH. Now, I'm not a fan of the body (a little to big for me), but all the BTBs I've played and heard are quite fine instruments. I wouldn't hesitate to pick one up if whatever I was GASing for coincided with a BTB.

Nice pieces, and a damn good value. Used, it's almost a no-brainer. I'm not really into where the BTBs are at, but I've got nothing at all against them.

Love my 406 to bits, even if it is a 6 string, got it for £250 too, it was "used" but in mint condition and had be setup, the pickup selector pot on mine is a bit, i dunno, "dry" you could say, you only notice when turning it tho

I think SMASH's review covers it all, but I really love my BTB406 (6 string version). I usually play it flat, boosting the mids a little here and there, and it sounds great. It's my only bass right now.

I have BTB, too! And I don't regret swiching from Warwick Corvette to BTB, I like body shape and neck is great. I guess, I found right bass! Will change pickups and electronics, and here you go, a flawless giging bass.
Thumbs up for BTB!

I have BTB, too! And I don't regret swiching from Warwick Corvette to BTB, I like body shape and neck is great. I guess, I found right bass! Will change pickups and electronics, and here you go, a flawless gigging bass.
Thumbs up for BTB!